Plenty Getting Lots Of Attention
HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- When people think of Mount Vernon H.S. in New York, names like Ben Gordon of UConn and ex-Louisville standouts Scooter and Rodney McCray come to mind.
One player who won't immediately come to mind (but has since carved a nice niche out for himself in the JUCO ranks) is 6-5, 220 pound power forward John Plenty of Central Arizona C.C. in Coolidge, Ariz.
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The Mount Vernon native turned in a pair of solid performances at this week's NJCAA Tournament here. On Tuesday, he scored 23 points as the Vaqueros nearly sprung the upset on heavily favored Lon Morris College of Texas.
On Wednesday, he pumped in 12 points, but it wasn't enough to keep Central Arizona alive in the tournament as the Vaqueros were eliminated by Walters State of Tennessee in an 88-85 loss.
While he may not be a great athlete, Plenty has excellent hands, good low post scoring skills, and uses his frame well to establish inside position. He's also efficient with the basketball, going to the hoop as quickly as possible once he gains control of the rock.
JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com caught up with Central Arizona Head Coach Chuck Schnoor following the Vaqueros' loss on Wednesday, and he informed us that Plenty's recruitment has varied greatly.
Many Division I and II programs like Plenty, who was a qualifier out of high school and is expected to graduate on time this spring, Schnoor said. Division II schools such as Seattle Pacific, Mesa State, Metro State and Fort Hays State feel that Plenty could be a force in the middle at their level.
Division I programs in the mix include Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware, Albany and Canisius.
Plenty averaged 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for Central Arizona this season as the Vaqueros claimed the District 1 championship with a win over Arizona Western earlier this month. He also shot a robust 63 percent from the field.
JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com will keep you posted on Plenty and several other top unsigned sophs attending this week's NJCAA Tournament, so stay tuned.